September 15 Hearbreak and Hope

Revelation 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
 
THE vivid description of conquest and death throughout the world in verses 1-8 is difficult and fearful to comprehend. God abruptly breaks into our day-to-day comforts to show us why he told Adam: Genesis 2:17 “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."  And why Jesus says of Satan in John 8:44b “The devil was a murderer from the beginning.” Sin is death. When man broke his relationship with God, he opened the door for Satan’s evil to kill and destroy.
    Then God shows us more personally sin’s deadly forces in the reality of a Christian’s death. Our hearts break as we grieve our countless martyred brothers and sisters who loved Jesus more than themselves.
    Yet, within the heartbreak, this scripture also tells us the great hope we see in God’s sovereign care. How can martyrdom evoke both heartbreak and hope?
    First, it is often very difficult for us to understand that faithful disciples are sometimes killed for their steadfast proclamation, “Repent and call on the name of the Lord Jesus. He is Savior. Believe in him and you will have eternal life.” Satan has raised in the world a deadly animosity against the Living God and all who serve him. Our hearts break over stories of men, women and even children killed for their faith. We count it as a loss to Jesus’ church on earth to know faithful hearts have been stilled. Yes, we often wonder at the Sovereign God’s eternal plan to permit sinful man’s will to disobey and destroy.
     But then we see sure hope. This passage describes the martyrs’ faith and reward. Taking up martyrdom’s cross is ultimate sacrificial love and worship to demonstrate total heart-love for Jesus. Martyrs reveal what it means to physically and spiritually give our lives to the one who has given us Life. Martyrs stir our faith and hearts. Martyrs point us to heaven’s white robes at the Lord’s holy altar. We know hope because the Lord affirms all of this is under his Sovereign purpose. Martyrdom is not a random act perpetrated in chaos. It is a purposeful demonstration of faith and reward for all of us to see.
    Notice, too, the Lord says there will be more martyrs before the end. Since John’s day, God has used many martyrs to expand his kingdom and spread the gospel.  
    Understand this lesson in your heart. Expect you will suffer for Jesus. Rejoice when it comes. Be of faith. Know you will live in his glory forever.
 
Prayer: Praise the Lord God Almighty who has overcome death to the joy of his creation. Amen.